Making An Impact: Jessica Chau

Friday, May 28, 2010

This is a great story for a couple of reasons - one is that Boston College put a name to their Asian American Scholarship (now known as the Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship) and that Jessica Chau - the recipient of said scholarship - is just someone the world should get to know.

The scholarship is given to a junior who demonstrates a strong commitment to the Asian American community at BC.

"I am humbled and honored to be awarded the Aquino Scholarship," said Chau, a sociology major from San Francisco. "If you read the biography of Benigno and Corazon Aquino, you quickly realize that they have done so much - exemplary leaders, tireless advocates. It's a humbling experience to be given an award with their names attached and a challenge to continue their work in the future."

Chau knows about personal challenge. Her family fled Vietnam on a boat built by her father and lived as refugees in Malaysia for several years before settling in the Chinese community in San Francisco.

At Boston College, Chau has established herself as a student leader, volunteering as a mentor to seven elementary school girls in the "Strong Women, Strong Girls" program. A staff member of the BC Women of Color Caucus, she also serves as political and education director of the BC Asian Caucus.
Read it aloud.